1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that flows cool air from cooling fans toward image carriers and developing devices from cooling ducts to cool these image carriers and developing devices, and relates to a cooling duct provided to this image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
In image forming devices such photocopying machines and printers that form images on paper by xerography, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information is first formed on an image carrier such as a photoreceptor drum. Then, this electrostatic latent image is developed using toner, which is a developer, by a developing device, and is visualized as a toner image. Afterwards, the toner image thus formed on the image carrier is transferred onto paper supplied at an appropriate timing. Subsequently, the toner image thus transferred to the paper is fused to the paper by a fusing device using heat and pressure. The paper onto which the toner image has been fused is discharged outside of the image forming apparatus. The sequence of image forming operations is thereby completed.
However, in image forming apparatuses equipped with motors and a fusing device, which are heat sources, inside of the apparatus main body, the temperature inside of the apparatus main body rises due to the image forming operations being repeated, and thus there is a possibility that fusing of toner will occur at the image carrier, developing device, and the like. As a result, cooling fans and cooling ducts have been disposed inside of the apparatus main body, and these image carriers and developing devices have been cooled by flowing cool air from the cooling fans toward the image carriers and developing devices via the cooling ducts.